Mark Ruffalo Says Hulk’s Storyline Leading to ‘Avengers’ Finale Will Feel Like a Standalone Movie

Let’s get this out of the way first: no, a Hulk standalone/spinoff movie is never happening any time in the near future. The rights are all mucked up with Universal and Marvel and creatively it just doesn’t seem like something Marvel is willing to take the risk on right now. But. BUT! Mark Ruffalo has said that you’re about to get the next best thing to a Hulk movie in Hulk’s storyline that plays out over Thor: Ragnarok and the two-part Avengers: Infinity War finale.

Ruffalo, Oscar nominee for his performance in Spotlight, spoke to Yahoo! Movies and said that Hulk fans have a lot to look forward to.

We have worked a really interesting arc into Thor 3, Avengers 3 and 4 for Banner that I think will – when it’s all added up – will feel like a Hulk movie, a standalone movie.

There have been whispers that the long-rumored Planet Hulk movie may be playing out in Thor: Ragnarok. Essentially, Thor meets up with Hulk on a gladiatorial planet where he’s been fighting since the end of Age of Ultron. Because he’s in space, Hulk has not reverted back to Banner and the two sides are starting to become closer together (and presumably Hulk can verbalize and talk much more eloquently). This should set things up nicely for Hulk to return to Earth just when the Avengers need him most and when he can finally control the uncontrollable.

So, OK, Hulk isn’t going to get his own movie, but an amateur editor could splice all the footage from these movies together and make one pretty badass Hulk movie. And frankly, Thor: Ragnarok may be a Thor movie with Hulk in it, but it also sounds like it could very well just be a Hulk movie with Thor with it.